Smethwick’s Old Church United in 1962

ERIC JACKSON of 14 Spode Avenue, Handsacre, Rugeley, gets the prize this week for going to the greatest lengths to deliver an old photograph to us. He brought it in personally to Bugle House, after catching three buses to Cradley Heath, all the way from Rugeley in mid Staffs, a distance of about 35 miles.

The photograph (shown on the right), goes back to his football- playing days in Smethwick. It depicts Old Church United FC in 1962, on West Smethwick Park. They played in the Smethwick and District Football League, and Eric tells us that himself plus two of the other players (Ron Caswell and John Hawkesford), has a decade earlier played in the Uplands Junior School team together.

Eric supplies the full line-up of the Old Cjurch United team as follows: Back Row: Sid Hammond, Barry Leach, Phil (Chalky) Harper, Ron Day, Ron Caswell, Dave Power.